In a continued effort to bring you all that is important in the world of gay entertainment and ensure that you are being spoon-fed images of gorgeous, commoditized manflesh, we present the newly-minted AfterElton Briefs. Following the usual assortment of carefully-selected news items, interested readers can find a refreshing pic of a hot man in underwear after the jump. Yes, we're serious.

• The theatrical trailer for gay director Tom Kalin's Savage Grace, which stars Julianne Moore as murdered Bakelite heiress Barbara Daly Baekeland, is now online. Looks pretty good, as does the shmancy new poster, above.

• Probably funnier than it should be: The Most Unintentionally Gay Rap Lyrics Ever. (Uh, some language NSFW, natch.)

• A new tell-all from former MTV exec Terrence Dean promises to blow the closet doors off the hip hop music industry.

• Gay glitterati of all stripes (including Carson Kressley, Heather Matarazzo and girlfriend Caroline Kennedy, Christine Vachon, and film exec Andrew Saffir) turned out last night at the premiere of Helen Hunt's directorial debut, Then She Found Me. Why? I have absolutely no idea.

• Another posthumous outing of a closeted and by all accounts fairly bittersweet Hollywood success story: Raymond Burr. I think it was pretty well-known already, but a new biography dots the i's and crosses the t's.

And today's Briefs are brought to you by...

If the words "Shoot her Wardell! Shoot her in the head!" mean something to you, I've got some very good news. First, the brand new (double-wide) trailer for Sordid Lives: The Series is up and running, and from the looks of things, the inspired insanity of the movie has transferred intact to the TV show. And second, LOGO (who owns this site, by the by) has announced that the soap will premiere on July 23rd.

Most of the original cast has returned, including Olivia Newton-John, Leslie Jordan, and Bonnie Bedelia. There are a couple of notable changes, though. Delta Burke was unable to reprise her role, so the character of Noleta is now being played by Caroline Rhea. Jason Dottley is now playing the character of Ty, the struggling gay actor, and in a genius casting decision, the character of the family matriach, Peggy (who was a corpse in the movie), is somehow alive and being played by Rue McClanahan. Guest stars in the first season include Margaret Cho, Carson Kressley, and Candis Cayne, which means this has the potential to rock a 10.0 on the gaymeter.

If you want to know more, visit LOGOonline for further details about the show.

 
Hey, they said it! (Kevin from Brothers & Sisters)

In a continued effort to bring you all that is important in the world of gay entertainment and ensure that you are being spoon-fed images of gorgeous, commoditized manflesh, we present the newly-minted AfterElton Briefs. Following the usual assortment of carefully-selected news items, interested readers can find a refreshing pic of a hot man in underwear after the jump. Yes, we're serious.

• If born-again wingnut Stephen Baldwin were president, he'd make it clear that gay marriage is "not acceptable". If I were president, I'd make it clear that Bio-Dome was "not acceptable". Come on, wasn't this guy in Threesome, Last Exit to Brooklyn and The Usual Suspects, and isn't his brother Billy currently doing wonders for queer visibility on Dirty Sexy Money?

• Although the above pic of Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys) in a dunce cap is the best of the bunch, there are other pics from the upcoming Brothers & Sisters episode over here. 

• We mentioned Tim Gunn's appearance on Ellen in today's Queerview, and here's a video of the sit-down part of the silver charmer's visit. He really is just the coolest.

T.R. Knight at the 27 Dresses Premiere

• T.R. Knight looked dashing as ever at the premiere of BFF Katherine Heigl's new movie, 27 Dresses. Meanwhile, when asked how complicated his duties were as Heigl's bridesman, he replied, "I just stayed out of the way ... I'm not allowed to get married so I have no advice!" Churrrrrch!

• Lifetime's Carson Kressley-hosted new makeover show How to Look Good Naked broke the ratings record for reality premieres with the net's key demographic, so keep an eye out for more shows where gay men parade naked women around for fun. Kinda like Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency on opposite day!

• We know Brit soap Skins had some impressive gay content in its first season, so it's a shame that the otherwise amazing promo for season two that's after the jump doesn't feature any guy-guy stuff. (Note: it does feature lots of shirtless fellas and some gorgeous art direction.)

Here's some great news: At long last, the in-development series based on Del Shores' fan-fave play and movie Sordid Lives is making its way to Logo in the summer fall of 2008. 

Official word is out that the series (currently filming in Louisiana) is screenbound and will star Bonnie Bedelia, Rue McClanahan, Olivia Newton-John, Caroline Rhea, and Beth Grant (OMG don't tell me that's the Sparkle Motion lady from Donnie Darko...). Out, Emmy-winning actor Leslie Jordan (pictured above) will reprise his film role as the institutionalized, Tammy-Wynette-channeling "Brother Boy", and Margaret Cho, Carson Kressley, Candis Cayne and Georgette Jones are also set to cameo amidst the 12-episode run.

The press release sums up the series thusly:

Sordid Lives’ twelve half-hour episodes are a humorous look at a dysfunctional family and the denizens of Winters, Texas, as well as an institutionalized brother (Jordan) who channels Tammy Wynette (Jones).  The series also chronicles the handsome young son of one of sisters (Bedelia) who is struggling with coming out to his Texas Republican Baptist family while pursuing an acting career in Los Angeles. 

Finally, some good news on the television front ... and even more, easily the most bizarre cast I've ever seen assembled for a television project (most of whom appeared in the 2000 film). This could either be brilliance or an absolute mess, but either way, we'll be watching ... and not just because Logo will make us. (Logo is the parent company of AfterElton.com.)

Last night, Bravo aired the series finale of Queer Eye, a show that was a breakthrough when it debuted in July of 2003 as Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (with its time slot partner the gay dating show Boy Meets Boy). Proudly announcing the sexual orientation of its stars in the series' title, the series made gay men the leads of a reality TV show. Instead of chasing away viewers by being so openly gay, Queer Eye became an instant hit that brought buzz to Bravo, the former arts and culture channel. The show was such a sensation it got special airings on (Bravo's corporate sibling) NBC, was highlighted on the cover of Entertainment Weekly and inspired a variety of international editions and one short-lived spin-off. The show's audience included viewers in conservative areas of the country that was expected to avoid a show with "Queer" in the title, seeming to signal an unexpectedly optimistic level of gay acceptance.

That excitement faded quickly, however. A year later, viewership was down by nearly 40% (though it was still Bravo's most-watched show at the time) and the show was discussed less as a step forward for gay visibility. Instead it was seen more as a re-enforcement of a limiting "model minority" stereotype that positions gay men as helpful fairy godfathers who use their cultural expertise to help straight people improve themselves.

While I find those complaints valid, I think it'd be a shame to overlook what the series accomplished. Not only did it show that a program led by gay men can find a widespread audience, it helped set the tone for the variety of gay-inclusive shows on Bravo. We regularly see gay competitors on Bravo's talent-based competition shows who are valued for their abilities. Meanwhile, Bravo's reality soaps like Work Out and Flipping Out show us gay people who are talented and have complicated personal lives. More importantly, when we caught up with Ted Allen, Kyan Douglas and Jai Rodriguez before the final season's debut, they talked about hearing from gay viewers who were happy to finally find someone they could look up to. Even after the buzz had faded, Queer Eye tried to bust down barriers, like in one episode that featured a transsexual male.

While Queer Eye's time has clearly come and gone, it'd be a shame to forget that it represented a step forward for gay representation. Happily, things have moved so quickly in Queer Eye's wake that it made itself obsolete.

• Lance Bass apparently noted recently that he had once thought fellow Syncer Justin Timberlake might have been gay because of his career ambitions: "We thought Justin was gay, because he told us he wanted to do a gay part in a movie." Then again, the same source refers to his bandmate as "Chris Fitzpatrick" (it's Kirkpatrick), so you never know...
  

• You've seen fashion expert and Jonathan Adler hubby Simon Doonan pop up on Best Week Ever, Top Model, and more, but chances are you haven't seen him like this ... (warning: NSFW if you work in a place where hilariously bad drag is against company policy)

• Queer Eye's Carson Kressley will be one of the judges on a new mother-daughter pageant reality show called Crowned. Other titles considered include Not Without My Second Chance at Happiness, Stop Or My Mom Will Wave, and Gastineau Girls.

• Finally! At noon today the official Daily Show website will launch, featuring nearly the entire video archive of the past nine years. Sorry, Craig Kilborn fans ... maybe next year.

• Whether you know her as Grizabella or the missing Walker matriarch or "that kind of lesbian-ish gym teacher who gets cut in half in Carrie," Betty Buckley will be performing this Saturday at Town Hall in NYC.